Origin and first appearance of Plastic Man by Jack Cole. First appearances of Phantom Lady, Firebrand, and the Human Bomb. Gill Fox cover and art. Fred Guardineer, Reed Crandall, and Paul Gustavson art.
Why sell your comic books with Heritage Auctions?
Highest Prices
Record-setting auction prices for comics and art.
Market Leader
Three times the sales of any other comic auctioneer.
Safe and Easy
Get started now with a free online auction appraisal.
*Please note, comics do not have to be CGC-graded.
COVER DETAILS
Title:
Introducing The Firebrand
Characters:
The Firebrand [Rod Reilly]; Plastic Man [Patrick "Eel" O'Brien] (inset); The Human Bomb [Roy Lincoln] (inset); Phantom Lady [Sandra Knight] (inset); The Mouthpiece [Bill Perkins] (inset)
Pencils:
Gill Fox
Inks:
Gill Fox
STORY DETAILS
Title:
Introducing the Firebrand
Characters:
The Firebrand [Rod Reilly] (introduction); Slugger Dunn (introduction, ex-prize fighter); "Emerald" Ed Reilly (introduction, Rod's father, steel tycoon); Joan Rogers (introduction, Rod's fiancee); Baron von Hanson (villain); Sylvester Cole (villain); Dave (villain, death); Dippy Dolan (villain, pickpocket)
Synopsis:
Firebrand's break-up of a window washer's racket leads him to bigger fish, who are attempting to steal a fortune in diamonds.
Pages:
11.000
Script:
S. M. Iger
Pencils:
Reed Crandall (signed)
Inks:
Reed Crandall (signed)
Notes:
Slugger was originally named Slugger Shea. Firebrand, in the early stories, left his signature torch emblem for the police to find.
Title:
The Origin of #711
Characters:
#711 [Daniel Dyce] (introduction, origin); un-named district attorney; Mary Horn (Jacob's wife, not seen); Jacob Horn (villain, death); "Slick" Panzer (villain)
Synopsis:
Dan agrees to take the rap for a soon-to-be-father, who agrees to give himself up to the law after seeing his newborn and wife. But when he is killed in an accident, prisoner #711 decides to remain behind bars and fight crime from there, in this case against Slick Panzer, who has swindled a widow out of $250,000.
Pages:
6.000
Script:
George Brenner [as George E. Brenner] (signed)
Pencils:
George Brenner [as George E. Brenner] (signed)
Inks:
George Brenner [as George E. Brenner] (signed)
Notes:
#711 wears a crimson jacket and cape and a hat which cast a heavy shadow over his face.
Title:
Dr. M. Balm's Man-Eating Plant
Characters:
Super Snooper (introduction); Dr. M. Balm (villain)
Synopsis:
An evil doctor creates a flesh-eating flower and sends it to Super Snooper to rid himself of the crime fighter.
Pages:
1.000
Script:
Gill Fox (signed)
Pencils:
Gill Fox (signed)
Inks:
Gill Fox (signed)
Title:
The Attack of Ali Harid
Characters:
Eagle Evans (introduction); Snap Smith (introduction, cameraman); un-named U.S. army general; un-named Libyan prince; Ali Harid (villain)
Synopsis:
Evans and Snap head to Cyranis to photograph enemy movements and activity, but when they return with photos for the general, they are arrested for violating a treaty with Ali Harid. They escape, team up with a Libyan prince and prevent Harid's planned actions.
Pages:
7.000
Script:
Witmer Williams [as Clark Williams] ? (signed)
Pencils:
Witmer Williams [as Clark Williams] (signed)
Inks:
Witmer Williams [as Clark Williams] (signed)
Notes:
Script credit from Millennium Edition: Police Comics No. 1 (DC, 2000 series) #nn. The Who's Who lists no writing credits for Williams, so ? placed beside the script credit. Script/artist correction by Craig Delich 2012-7-3
"Clark Williams" is a house name.
Feature logo reads "Eagle Evans, Flier of Fortune".
Title:
The Legend of the Black Baron
Characters:
Chic Carter [The Sword] (reporter); Curtis Randall (art collector, death); Detective Monahan; Hodges (Curtis Randall's butler, death); Betty Randall; Damon (cousin); The Black Baron [Harvey Randall] (villain, death)
Synopsis:
When Curtis Randall decides to change his will and give away his entire art collection, he is seemingly murdered by a suit of armor belonging to one of his ancestors. Chic is present for the reading of Randall's will and uncovers a murder plot by the deceased's brother Harvey, The Black Baron, wearing a skull mask, tries to claim his brother's fortune but falls to his death in the end.
Pages:
6.000
Script:
Vernon Henkel
Pencils:
Vernon Henkel
Inks:
Vernon Henkel
Notes:
Feature continues from Smash Comics (Quality, 1939 series) #26.
Millennium Edition: Police Comics No. 1 (DC, 2000 series) credits Will Eisner with the script and art. The Who's Who lists Henkel as creator, writer and artist for the strip. Jim Amash and Mike Kooiman, in the Quality Companion, categorically state that The Sword was created by Henkel.
Henkel himself said, in Alter Ego #48, that super-heroes didn't interest him. He was more into adventure stories, like those in the movies; he liked realism. Perhaps this was why Carter appeared in costume as The Sword for only a very short time. Added by Craig Delich 2014-1-3.
Synopsis:
While escaping from a crime scene, Eel O'Brian has a vat of acid dumped on his head, giving him the ability to stretch his body. Eel decides he doesn't want to be a criminal anymore and uses his newly found powers to capture his former partners in crime.
Pages:
6.000
Script:
Jack Cole (signed)
Pencils:
Jack Cole (signed)
Inks:
Jack Cole (signed)
Letters:
Jack Cole
Reprints:
DC Special (DC, 1968 series) #15 (November-December 1971)
Synopsis:
Imprisoned for having taken the rap for a gang of robbers he was working as a lookout for, Kerrigan saves the life of the warden and is paroled. But he is quickly approached by Spike and his gang, who kidnap Betty and manage to convince the authorities that Kerrigan was in on another job, the same day he was released.
Pages:
6.000
Pencils:
Al Bryant (signed)
Inks:
Al Bryant (signed)
Title:
The Alien Smuggling Racket
Characters:
The Mouthpiece [Bill Perkins] (introduction, district attorney); Smokey Joe (villain); Captain Peg-Leg Friel (villain, death)
Synopsis:
D.A. Perkins dons a mask and cape in order to get the goods on a brutal alien smuggling racket, spearheaded by Peg-Leg Friel, who smuggled European refugees inside fish carcasses! When Peg-Leg attempts to escape, the Mouthpiece thinks nothing of harpooning the dastardly villain.
Pages:
6.000
Script:
Fred Guardineer (signed)
Pencils:
Fred Guardineer (signed)
Inks:
Fred Guardineer (signed)
Letters:
Fred Guardineer ?
Title:
Vengeance
Characters:
Dick Mace (introduction); Albert Brancourt (weathy diamond merchant, death); Mrs. Grancourt (Albert's wife, death); two un-named children of Albert Brancourt (both die); Adrian Grancourt (Albert's oldest son, death); Vivienne Grancourt (Albert's 9-year old daughter, death); Pierre LaFonde (villain, printer, death)
Synopsis:
Two former French army majors become bitter enemies after the war, and one of them, Pierre LaFonde, swears revenge after being cheated out of a fabulously valuable diamond mine.
Pages:
2.000
Script:
Robert M. Hyatt (signed)
Pencils:
? (spot illustrations)
Inks:
? (spot illustrations)
Letters:
typeset
Title:
The Coming of the Phantom Lady
Characters:
The Phantom Lady [Sandra Knight] (introduction); Senator Henry Knight (introduction, Sandra's father); Don Borden (introduction, State Department investigator); Dr. Raphael (inventor); Wenner (villain, death); Pete (villain, Raphael's assistant, death)
Synopsis:
The Phantom Lady rescues a kidnapped scientist who has developed a uranium explosive.
Pages:
6.000
Pencils:
Arthur Peddy (signed)
Inks:
Arthur Peddy (signed)
Notes:
Phantom Lady's origin was revealed in Freedom Fighters #15.
Synopsis:
Dewey gets a letter from the government informing him that he has been drafted.
Pages:
1.000
Script:
John Devlin ?
Pencils:
John Devlin [as Devlin] (signed)
Inks:
John Devlin [as Devlin] (signed)
Letters:
John Devlin ?
Title:
The Origin of the Human Bomb
Characters:
The Human Bomb [Roy Lincoln] (introduction, origin); Professor Lincoln (Roy's father, death); Fritz (villain, death); Baldy (villain); Riker (villain); un-named Axis consul (villain, death)
Synopsis:
An Axis consul makes several attempts to steal a new explosive capsule invented by the late Professor Lincoln, but, in the end, he is on the receiving end of its power.
Pages:
6.000
Script:
Paul Gustavson [as Paul Carroll] (signed)
Pencils:
Paul Gustavson [as Paul Carroll] (signed)
Inks:
Paul Gustavson [as Paul Carroll] (signed)
Letters:
Paul Gustavson
Notes:
A black and white restoration/homage to this story by Jack Cole is printed in Golden-Age Men of Mystery (AC, 1996 series) #12.
Even though the Who's Who doesn't list Gustavson as a writer of the strip, Mike Kooiman and Jim Amash state in the Quality Companion that he created the strip and wrote it, so the question mark with the script credit has been removed by Craig Delich 2013-1-18. Also verified by Gustavson's son, Terry Gustafson.
Letterer credit courtesy of Terry Gustafson, Paul Gustavson's son.
Exclusive to Heritage members: GoCollect price report for this certified comic.
CGC Census Report*
Grade
0.5
1.0
1.5
1.8
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
9.2
9.4
9.6
9.8
9.9
10.0
Total
Universal
1
1
3
0
2
6
6
3
2
2
6
6
4
3
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
53
Qualified
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Signature Series
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Restored
0
0
0
0
1
0
3
4
0
4
2
0
0
1
2
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
18
Total
1
1
3
0
3
6
9
7
2
6
8
6
4
4
3
2
1
2
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
71
*All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible. No item may be returned or refused based on this information which is provided as a service to our customers. You should contact each pricing source directly to determine the accuracy of this information.
Disclaimer About Comic Book Data
Heritage Auctions provides this information as a service to our customers, and is not responsible for inaccurate data. Please refer to past sale prices, industry price guides, and our experts' auction estimates before you bid or buy.
Heritage Auctions, the world's largest collectibles auctioneer, is the undisputed leader in comic book and comic art sales. Our experts help fans and collectors understand what makes key issues valuable and as the best place to sell comics, we help consignors realize the highest possible prices for their prized collections.
